Trimala (Animula)
Trimala is the class of inframole exoanimals that dominate the Neoanimalian era, the most recent era which includes present day. They are distinguished from other classes of Inframole by having toothed skulls which act as the third jaw, in combination with the upper two jaws; these jaws open and close towards a centerpoint (which varies from family to family), with the teeth from each jaw meshing with the other teeth seamlessly upon closing. Trimalans are also distinguishable by having loosely attached insulating coats of dead hardskin in a criss-cross pattern, called Vellus. Most families, also incubate their developing embryos by swallowing them after born, and then sending them down the esophagus to a special watertight sac close to the stomachs called the phagawomb. Here, the embryos develop in peace, and get supplied vital nutrients from the nearby digestive system. Evolutionary History The ancestors of the first Trimalans were from a family of small, sextuped Retroincendons called Contraretroids, and the species was a diminutive high-mountain dweller called Matermus, latin for "mother mouse". Matermus lived around 3797 myai, and was a strange creature; a sort of intermediate between a retroincendon and a Trimalan, and even some features from a primisaur. Unlike most retroincendons, Matermus retained the tough but flexible layer of latticed keratin seen on primisaurs, but in Matermus it was softer and looser, with many parts of it not attached, and much more dense; to aid in more efficient and quick processing of mat strands and bulbs, Matermus' primary food source, the skull grew a series of hard bumps, while the upper jaws started to angle a bit downwards, so the jaws could mash the vegetable matter on the skull bumps, breaking it down. Its skeleton even suggests that it might've moved like most trimalans do; the two front limbs moved together, opposite to the stronger hind limbs. Regardless, Matermus retained the armor-like plates of keratin seen only in Retroincendons, as well as the lack of a phagawomb; it gave birth to embryeggs, embryos covered in a hard, near impenetrable skin while in development, used by Retroincendons. The next major species in the transition from Retroincendon to Trimalan was Nixcampunax. Nixcampunax was a tiny tundra dwelling grazer that lived in small packs, and roamed the freezing Raronotus mountain range plateau, feeding on tough bulbushes and thin mats. Nixcampunax lost all armor plating except on the head, presumably for mating fights; and dried, dense layers of snow white Vellus covered their short, squat bodies. In addition, these creatures didn't lay embryeggs and leave them there; they would freeze to death. Instead, Nixcampunix would lay an embryo, then half swallow the embryo, in a deep depression in the upper esophagus, where the mother would partially regurgitate food to to feed it. When the embryo had developed enough, the mother would regurgitate it, along with an ample amount of food, onto the ground and abandon it. When Animula entered an especially severe ice age due to a bypassing asteroid which temporarily drew animula 4% farther from the sun, the retroincendons couldn't cope. With most of them used to an especially warm ''climate, the cold was horrible for them: without any insulation, many retroincendons froze to death, and those that didn't laid embryeggs that froze to death before developing properly. But the Nixcampunix and relatives, collectively known as Prototrimalans, did survive; and they would be the antecessors of all living Trimalans today. Anatomical Features Trimalans could be described as the most derived Hexapedes, having evolved from Retroincendons, which in their turn evolved from Primisaurs. As such, Trimalans possess many strange features and traits not seen in other classes of Hexapede. #' Skull and jaws: as mentioned before, Trimalans have three "jaws" with teeth that participate in the attaining and chewing of food. The upper two jaws that also exist in nearly all other Inframoles evolved to angle downwards when opening and closing, while the lower skull jaw, usually the skull in other Inframoles, also possesses teeth and opens and closes with varying degrees of force and angle. #'Vellus: '''Vellus is the name given to the keratinous insulating covering on the skin of almost all Trimalans. Vellus is composed of strong strands of dead skin cells very high in keratin, arranged in a dense lattice pattern. Multiple layers of varying amounts of this lattice cover the skin of most Trimalans, and act as insulation, protection, and display; and can feel rough or silky depending on the species. Vellus most likely evolved from the lattice pattern of hardened strands that crisscross the skin of primisaurs and some retroincendons. #'Sexual Selection: As with all exoanimals in Animula, there are no multiple major "genders". All individuals can raise offspring, though they still require sexual intercourse in order to form embryos, and sexual selection still occurs as there seems to be a sort of pseudosexual dimorphism, with one phenotype adapted to produce progeny, and most other variants competing to obtain this mate. Couples fit two gland-like organs called Initia (a pair located on opposite sides of the exoanimal's flanks) adjacent to each other, and two "eggs" merge to form a zygote, which randomly chooses which Initia to first develop in. Often the mate without the zygote, called the Auxilior, undergoes some bodily changes and continues to assist the egg-bearer in obtaining necessary food and protection. #'Reproduction: '''After the zygote forms and enters one of the Initia, it begins the first stage of development there. Originally resembling an ellipse, a row of lateral rods begin to form on the base, most of which curve around the body and form the ribs and vertebrae. Some of the rods alter position and shape to become the structure of the limbs and the jaws. Two hollow tubes form through the embryo, one of which develops into the digestive system; the other into the respiratory and circulatory system. Once the circulatory system is fully formed it is expelled from the Initia. In other hexapedes the embryo will now have to live outside of the mother's body, but in Trimalans the mother swallows the embryo into the Phagawomb. #'Juxtagastral Embryal Sac (Phagawomb): Upon giving birth to a partially functioning embryo, usually with fully developed circulatory systems and functional (but relatively weak) digestive systems, the mother will again swallow the embryo, which will travel down the esophagus to a watertight sterile sac (known as the phagawomb); here, the embryo is directly fed oxygen-rich oxyfluid and partially digest food. When the embryo becomes too large for the phagawomb and starts to struggle, usually meaning that it has fully developed, the mother regurgitates it, and an ample amount of food in the process. The phagawomb most likely evolved from parts of the esophagus or a stomach. Orders (as of 4000 myai, present day) Armaturidea' The Armaturids are the most primitive of Trimalans, and possess hard plates on their skin like retroincendons. They are a small, obscure order, with a large variety of strange armored creatures. A large majority of Armaturideans are semiaquatic, and though most Armaturideans are omnivorous, some are hypercarnivorous, such as the semiaquatic ambush predator Sicariutherids. Camuartusidea Camuartusids are the most recent of Trimalans, and are named for their splayed limbs, which are a feature inherited from basal prototrimalans. All modern Camuartusids are arboreal or mountain-dwelling creatures, and climb as if "hugging" the surface they're climbing on; for example, in arboreal species all three pairs of limbs are curved around in an outwards curve and grip the bark in two directions. In this manner, they can "run" up the bark with great speed. Some species are also expert jumpers, with hindlegs adapted to release liek a spring for maximum force. Camuartusidean eye sockets are set very far from the jaws and close to the front, sacrificing peripheral vision but allowing for optimal clear binocular vision. Most Camuartusideans but the members of the mountainous clade Oroartusidae have short, weak jaws, and subsist mainly on fruit. Quadrartusidea Quadrartusideans are strange among Trimalans for being quadrupedal; the front pair of limbs are close to the head and are used to manipulate the environment around it; for example, in Captulnaids, the forelimbs are very long and have one grabbing digit, to grab parenid matter and bring it to the mouth; while in some other groups they are used in fights for mating rights between males. Other than their forelimbs and quadrupedal stance, Quadrartisideans have other distinguishing features as well. Their stomachs have two large, hard convex plates facing each other, and with muscles attached to their periphery which grinds these plates (and the food between them) together, aiding digestion of nutrient poor, tough mats. Carnophagria Carnophagrians, or carnophages, are the dominant order of carnivorous exoanimals on Animula. They are defined by having an infradorsal cavity (inner concave cavity at the back of the jaw) at least 80% as deep as the width of the jaw itself; in most species, this cavity houses massive jaw muscles, but in some, such as the Viperrexideans, this cavity also holds a cluster of venom-producing organs. Apart from their uniting feature, Carnophagarians are incredibly diverse, with each family completely adapted to its lifestyle and prey. There are three suborders: the aforementioned venomous Viperrexideans, the hypercarnivorous Proincendonarians, and the Planutegusids, generally small but adaptive Carnophages. Undulocetacidae'' Undulocetacideans are the only purely aquatic Trimalans, and have truly adapted to an aquatic lifestyle. No Undulocetacideans come onto land, throughout their lifetime. Undulocetacideans locomote underwater primarily by horizontal undulation: their entire bodies are muscle packed for undulation, and all three pairs of limbs play a role; all the limbs are flat and rigid, and the first and second pair move along with the rest of the body in undulation, while the last pair of limbs stretch out backwards and act as a powerful tail. Their jaw nostrils reside at the tip of their jaws and point upwards, for easier inhalation; they store oxygen dissolved in oxyfluid in large oxygen bladders at the base of their lungs, adapted from a much smaller reservoir in other exoanimals simply used to dissolve oxygen in the oxyfluid. Nearly all Undulocetacideans are carnivorous. Category:Animula